Improved amalgamator



H. HALVOR'SON.

AMALGAMATOR.

No. 50,534. Patented'ot. 17, 18,65.

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norms #Erzi-rs no. mavo-uma UNITED `STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HALVOR HALVORSON, OF NORTH CAMBRIDGE, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WM. TRACEYEUSTIS, OF BOSTON, ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES AND LEVI L. CUSHING, JR., OFCAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED AMALGAMATOR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,534, dated October17, 1865.

.To all whom 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HALvoR HALvoRsoN, of North Cambridge, in the Stateof Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful- Improvement onGold-Amalgamators and I do hereby declare that the followin g is a full,clear and exact description of the construction and operation of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the marksand letters thereon.

The drawings forming part of this specification represent an amalgamatorconstructed under my invention, Figure l thereof being a View inelevation with a portion of the sides of thetub or pan removed, so as toshow the parts within, and Fig. 2 being atop view, or a view had bylooking down upon the amalgamator. In both of these figures, where likeparts are shown, like marks and letters are used to indicate the parts.

A suitable frame, u, supports the revolving tub or pan Z1 and the otherparts of the machine. The tn b or pan may be made of any sufficientlystron g and durable material. The insides of the vertical sides shouldbe copper. Sheet-copper lining in an iron pan or tub answers very well.The pan can lbe put in motion by beveled gearing c and d on suitableshafts, e and f, with belts and pulleys, or by any otherappropriatemechanical means. The copper lining should be amalgamated or cov: eredwith mercury. When the/pain"ifsffputfin motion a soluble salt of mercuryin solution should be put in, containing metallic mercury enough for theamalgamation. Continuing the rotation of the pan with the mercurialsolution in it, the pulverized ore is added, and then s lphurous-acidgas is introduced by the glass tube g. This will decompose the mercurialsalt, liberating metallic mercury, which seizes upon the gold and iscarried by centrifugal force against the mercurialized copper lining,which will retain it. The oxygen of the mercurial salt will go to thesulphurous acid introducecl, which, besides aiding to keep themercurialized surface of the interior of the pan bright and clean, willalso act upon a zinc ring, It, surrounding the shaft of the pan,rendering m w, Y i

it the positive element for a galvanic current .toward the copper liningas the negative element, aiding the centrifugal force much in thedepositionof the gold amalgam.

Were the centrifugal force undisturbed it would pile the contents of thetub up on the sides withoutfurther action. To prevent this an elasticrollerlj, and a dasher, j, are applied to break this, the dasherthrowing the mass back toward the center. This makes agitation, whichpolishes the particles of gold, without which mercury will not touch it.A bright metallic surface is eine qua non for amalgamation.

The object of the elastic roller, aside from aiding to break the pilingup, is to knead the mass on the mercury on the copper, and thus crowd acontact of gold amalgam with the copper lining. A brush with thebristles pressing against the copper or a piece of sheet rubber or anysoft material answers very well, but the roller presents the leastfriction.

At the lower edge of the ,copper lining is a recess, le, in the bottomof the pan. The object of this is to catch gold amalgam that may havebeen deposited upon the copper beyond the amo/unt which the verticalsides will hold. The roller or brush aids in crowding this oli' to fallinto the recess, where the gold amalgam is easier collected than fromthe sides. When the mass has been exhausted of gold, the shaft or tubbeing hollow and supplied with apertures Z and lm above and below thebottom, with a plug or cock, n, or valve between them, this Valve islifted up to a point above the inside aperture, when the mass will runout over the shield o underneath, which is placed there upon the shaftto prevent the dbris from the pan running into the gears that revolvethe pan. This may be done when the` pan is at rest or while its rotationis graduallvdiminishing.

The dasnerj should be made, preferably, of glass or some goodnon-conducting material, so as to take up none of the gold amalgam,which all ought to fly to the periphery; but if it is made ofJ metal itshould be of one which can be mercnrialized like the copper sides.

The interior copper lining might be corrugated for the purpose ofcatching more of the gold amalgam, as the recesses would prevent theeasy escape that Would occur on a plain surface in the same diametermachine. It is true that in this case the kneading action of the rubberwould be conned to the points of the corrugations; but it would stillkeep the mass in the recesses while passing under it, and force anvadhesion of gold amalgam to the sides of the recess more than wouldoccur without it.

It is obvious that this machine maybe used as @separator alone, whereamalgamation has been performed in a Tribough pan, or it may he usedwith metallic mercury. n

Vlhat l claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent,.is-

1. The rin gh, for the purposes herein recited.

J ..R. Monsw., Gno. H.V EUsrIs.

